Minister without portfolio in charge of Kosovo and Metohija, Aleksandar Vulin said today that the Republic of Serbia expected that its guarantees regarding arrested Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija will be accepted, and they will be released pending trial.
He explained that in yesterday’s round of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina were discussed cases of “Ivanovic, Delibasic, Lazic and all other Serbs who were arrested in Kosovo and Metohija. The explanation for their arrests is vague and no one knows how it is possible that their basic human rights are violated “. “We expect that the Serbian government guarantees will be accepted. If the justification is possible escape, the state of Serbia said that the escape is impossible. That is the best guarantee.”
He explained that the EULEX judiciary is independent, but their decision on release of the arrested will show how much they respect Serbian guarantees and state that gave it.
When it comes to negotiations on the judiciary, Vulin said that they have not been completed and that the next two weeks it will be finalized. He stressed that at the moment it is too early to assess the flow of negotiations and that he wouldn’t like to disclose details in order not to impede the negotiating process.
When asked about Association of Serbian Municipalities Vulin said that statute must be adopted, and that management team works on it. “According to my information it will happen very soon,” he said, adding that after it, newly constituted municipalities will declare about the statute.
When asked in which way forthcoming elections for the Serbian Assembly will be organized in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, he explained that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will implement them. “I think we had a very good mechanism in the last elections, in 2012, and I do not see any reason to change something,” said Vulin.
Regarding the parliamentary elections in Kosovo and Metohija, which should be implemented by Pristina authorities, he warned all relevant factors in Kosovo to bear in mind not to radicalize, or cause conflict by their political appearances. “Serbs in Kosovo will not be a factor of instability, they want to live peacefully, safely, in an environment where their rights, language, school , property is respected,” stressed the minister.
Vulin reiterated that he was against reducing the presence of the international community and that it would be very worrying and dangerous.
He recalled that in the past ten days there were two arsons of Serbian houses and that perpetrators have not yet been identified, despite the presence of the international community, asking what would have happened if there would be no such presence. “Recent developments in Kosovo show that evil is not stopped. In the past few days, two returnees’ houses, in the village Klinavac have been burned.”
On the question whether the implementation of the Brussels agreement will be compromised if government in Pristina will be changed, he said that international commitments cannot be forgotten and must be implemented. “The government has conducted seven agreements signed by the previous, and each future will implement what previous government agreed,” said Vulin. Though often there is the idea in Pristina that some things can be changed, I must say that what was agreed in Brussels cannot be changed in Pristina,” concluded Vulin.
